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Symptoms for almost 2 years now
I am 21 years old and I have been having intestinal disturbances for almost 2 years now, since march of 2007. I first started off with diarrhea, nausea, weight loss, fatigue and stomach pain, which would be on and off every 2 weeks or so. I went to the doctor about 5 times last year, i've been given various blood tests and stool samples, everything came out fine. However, I am uninsured so I would never be able to follow up with other procedures due to this.
I then cut out certain foods from my diet for several months to see if that helped. This made me constipated and actually made me feel worst because I was depriving myself of nutrients. Just last week, I came off of the restricted diet and am eating normally again. I am no longer constipated, but I have loose stools again and I get brief cramping in the mornings which is relieved after a bowel movement. Other than the diarrhea, I am fine. I have a big appetite, I have not lost anymore weight and I do not feel weak. However, I am having 2 to 4 bowel movements per day. Some times it is normal and most times it is a bit loose with food particles.
What worries me though is sometimes I see a few red speckles on the toilet paper that I think may be blood. I also sometimes see these same red speckles in my stools, its very little but its not normal for me. I did visit the gastro again last week, I was given blood work and it all came back fine, and they set up an appointment to do a colonoscopy in 2 months.
Do my symptoms sound like colon cancer? I feel fine other than the symptoms I described but now i'm worried because of the tiny red dots I see on the toilet paper. The doctor thinks it could be a food allergy or and IBD. I'm very worried.
I then cut out certain foods from my diet for several months to see if that helped. This made me constipated and actually made me feel worst because I was depriving myself of nutrients. Just last week, I came off of the restricted diet and am eating normally again. I am no longer constipated, but I have loose stools again and I get brief cramping in the mornings which is relieved after a bowel movement. Other than the diarrhea, I am fine. I have a big appetite, I have not lost anymore weight and I do not feel weak. However, I am having 2 to 4 bowel movements per day. Some times it is normal and most times it is a bit loose with food particles.
What worries me though is sometimes I see a few red speckles on the toilet paper that I think may be blood. I also sometimes see these same red speckles in my stools, its very little but its not normal for me. I did visit the gastro again last week, I was given blood work and it all came back fine, and they set up an appointment to do a colonoscopy in 2 months.
Do my symptoms sound like colon cancer? I feel fine other than the symptoms I described but now i'm worried because of the tiny red dots I see on the toilet paper. The doctor thinks it could be a food allergy or and IBD. I'm very worried.
Hi,
On the blood in the stool
Testing may come back as negative, but this may be due to the intermittent nature of bleeding. Hence, multiple testing is recommended, the actual number depends on the practice patterns where you live. If blood is found, then a colonoscopy would likely be recommended to look for suspicious masses and to perform a biopsy.
On the diarrhea:
It seems you were advised to change the diet, but it seems to have backfired and you became constipated. Was a malabsorption ever established? This is usually done with stool samples, looking at how fluid the stool is. If there is malabsorption, then a diet diary may be most helpful (though of course it sounds so tedious). I recall a recent report of malabsorption that was attributed to the effect of chronic chewing gum use. Hence, something deemed innocuous may actually be the culprit.
On the frustration of getting tests done and waiting for something definitive.
There are diagnoses that may take some time. Hence, it would be important to look at the development of other symptoms to guide your doctor.
Stay positive.
On the blood in the stool
Testing may come back as negative, but this may be due to the intermittent nature of bleeding. Hence, multiple testing is recommended, the actual number depends on the practice patterns where you live. If blood is found, then a colonoscopy would likely be recommended to look for suspicious masses and to perform a biopsy.
On the diarrhea:
It seems you were advised to change the diet, but it seems to have backfired and you became constipated. Was a malabsorption ever established? This is usually done with stool samples, looking at how fluid the stool is. If there is malabsorption, then a diet diary may be most helpful (though of course it sounds so tedious). I recall a recent report of malabsorption that was attributed to the effect of chronic chewing gum use. Hence, something deemed innocuous may actually be the culprit.
On the frustration of getting tests done and waiting for something definitive.
There are diagnoses that may take some time. Hence, it would be important to look at the development of other symptoms to guide your doctor.
Stay positive.
Hi, thanks for the response. I never had an endoscopy but i did have a blood test done for celiac, which came back negative ofcourse.
When I changed my diet, I first suspected celiac disease. I eliminated gluten and still felt bad. Then i eliminated dairy, then soy, then potatoes, tomatoes, all nightshade vegetables, beans, corn, dried fruit, apricots, raisins, sugar, and honey. I was on this diet for about 9-10 months and my symptoms actually worsened, i developed severe constipation, an itchy rash, canker sores, hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails etc. I wasnt getting enough nutrients I guess. I was careful about cross contamination and I never ate out. I still saw very little improvement.
I came off the diet and am eating whatever. I feel fine except for the loose stool problem which has improved some. I still suspect Celiac, but not as much since I did not improve on a gluten free and everything else free diet. Other than celiac, is there a possibility that this could be anything serious? Thanks so much. Also, my brother has Crohn's disease if that means anything.
When I changed my diet, I first suspected celiac disease. I eliminated gluten and still felt bad. Then i eliminated dairy, then soy, then potatoes, tomatoes, all nightshade vegetables, beans, corn, dried fruit, apricots, raisins, sugar, and honey. I was on this diet for about 9-10 months and my symptoms actually worsened, i developed severe constipation, an itchy rash, canker sores, hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails etc. I wasnt getting enough nutrients I guess. I was careful about cross contamination and I never ate out. I still saw very little improvement.
I came off the diet and am eating whatever. I feel fine except for the loose stool problem which has improved some. I still suspect Celiac, but not as much since I did not improve on a gluten free and everything else free diet. Other than celiac, is there a possibility that this could be anything serious? Thanks so much. Also, my brother has Crohn's disease if that means anything.
Hi,
Do you know what the blood tests were? Did you get a copy of the results?
This sounds to me like a "classic" case of Celiac Disease.
You mention that your stomach was examined several times. Was an endoscopy performed?
Also, you say that you cut out certain foods for several months. Which foods were they?
The blood tests for Celiac Disease don't always yield good information. It depends which ones they do. A colonoscopy will not help either, but endoscopy will. That is a test where you are sedated and the Dr. sends a scope down through your mouth, throat, and stomach and goes to the small intestine and takes several tissue samples, which are then examined microscopically.
It really sounds to me that Celiac is what you have. I am not a doctor, but this is something I am quite familiar with.
Good luck, Chris
Do you know what the blood tests were? Did you get a copy of the results?
This sounds to me like a "classic" case of Celiac Disease.
You mention that your stomach was examined several times. Was an endoscopy performed?
Also, you say that you cut out certain foods for several months. Which foods were they?
The blood tests for Celiac Disease don't always yield good information. It depends which ones they do. A colonoscopy will not help either, but endoscopy will. That is a test where you are sedated and the Dr. sends a scope down through your mouth, throat, and stomach and goes to the small intestine and takes several tissue samples, which are then examined microscopically.
It really sounds to me that Celiac is what you have. I am not a doctor, but this is something I am quite familiar with.
Good luck, Chris
also, they did not find blood in my stool. I went in the 3rd time because I was afraid there was blood in my stool, the test came back negative.
you obviously didnt read over my post entirely. I have been to the doctor about 5 times last year, I had gotten blood work, stool sample test, my stomach was examined several times. I also mentioned in my post that I went to the gastro last week and they gave me an appointment for a colonoscopy.
btw they asked me about alot of the symptoms you mentioned at surgical consult. i don't mean to scare you, it's just i really had no idea prior to my finding out. Go to your dr. and make sure you tell them all your symptoms, otherwise you only give them part of the picture and they may not be able to correctly diagnose. also sorry for all the errors in my first comment. I hope that you don't have it and that it is just irratable bowel syndrom.
but please be safe and not sorry.My prayers are with you
but please be safe and not sorry.My prayers are with you
Plzzz go to he doctor and get checked out. Ask for a colonoscpy of they don't recomend it. I am 29 and I had diariah off and on for about two years but I really didn't think much about it( too busy with work and school). Then I started getting tierd all the time, like an extreme change from before. I thought I was having hormaonal problems becauseI wasn't having my normal periods. I went to the doctor, first time, and was filling out a new patient form asking about my health. One of the questions was if I had blood in my stool, I almost didn't mark it because, eveb though I had been having it for about 8 weeks at that point cause I thought maybe I had just eatin something red( I drink alot of kool-aid). Anyway I marked it and decided to let the dr,figure it out .That turned out to be a life savor bcause he reccomened a colonoscopy, which found that I had stage 3 of 4stages colon cancer. I would recomend getting it done to rule out cancer or polyps that can turn into cancer
I also forgot to mention that there is no family history of colon cancer on either my mother and father's side.
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